Here beginneth the epistle of the African synod to Pope
Celestine, bishop of the City of Rome.

To the lord and most beloved and
our honourable brother Celestine, Aurelius, Palatinus, Antony, Totus,
Servusdei, Terentius, Fortunatus, Martin, Januarius, Optatus, Ceticius,
Donatus, Theasius, Vincent, Fortunatian, and the rest of us, assembled
at Carthage in the General Council of Africa.

We could wish that, like as your Holiness intimated to
us, in your letter sent by our fellow presbyter Leo, your pleasure at
the arrival of Apiarius, so we also could send to you these writings
with pleasure respecting his clearing. Then in truth both our own
satisfaction, and yours of late would be more reasonable; nor would
that lately expressed by you concerning the hearing of him then to
come, as well as that already past, seem hasty and inconsiderate.
Upon the arrival, then, of our holy Brother and fellow-Bishop
Faustinus, we assembled a council, and believed that he was sent with
that man, in order that, as he [Apiarius] had before been restored to
the presbyterate by his assistance, so now he might with his exertions
be cleared of the very great crimes charged against him by the
inhabitants of Tabraca. But the due course of examination in our
council discovered in him such great and monstrous crimes as to
overbear even Faustinus, who acted rather as an advocate of the
aforementioned person than as a judge, and to prevail against what was
more the zeal of a defender, than the justice of an inquirer. For
first he vehemently opposed the whole assembly, inflicting on us many
injuries, under pretence of asserting the privileges of the Roman
Church, and wishing that he should be received into communion by us, on
the ground that your Holiness, believing him to have appealed, though
unable to prove it, had restored him to communion. But this we by
no means allowed, as you will also better see by reading the
acts. After however, a most laborious inquiry carried on for
three days, during which in the greatest affliction we took cognizance
of various charges against him, God the just Judge, strong and long
suffering, cut short by a sudden stroke both the delays of our
fellow-bishop Faustinus and the evasions of Apiarius himself, by which
he was endeavouring to veil his foul enormities. For his strong
and shameless obstinacy was 510overcome, by which he endeavoured to cover,
through an impudent denial, the mire of his lusts, and God so wrought
upon his conscience and published, even to the eyes of men, the secret
crimes which he was already condemning in that man’s heart, a
very sty of wickedness, that, after his false denial he suddenly burst
forth into a confession of all the crimes he was charged with, and at
length convicted himself of his own accord of all infamies beyond
belief, and changed to groans even the hope we had entertained,
believing and desiring that he might be cleared from such shameful
blots, except indeed that it was so far a relief to our sorrow, that he
had delivered us from the labour of a longer inquiry, and by confession
had applied some sort of remedy to his own wounds, though, lord and
brother, it was unwilling, and done with a struggling conscience.
Premising, therefore, our due regards to you, we earnestly conjure you,
that for the future you do not readily admit to a hearing persons
coming hence, nor choose to receive to your communion those who have
been excommunicated by us, because you, venerable Sir, will readily
perceive that this has been prescribed even by the Nicene
council. For though this seems to be there forbidden in respect
of the inferior clergy, or the laity, how much more did it will this to
be observed in the case of bishops, lest those who had been suspended
from communion in their own Province might seem to be restored to
communion hastily or unfitly by your Holiness. Let your Holiness
reject, as is worthy of you, that unprincipled taking shelter with you
of presbyters likewise, and the inferior clergy, both because by no
ordinance of the Fathers hath the Church of Africa been deprived of
this authority, and the Nicene decrees have most plainly committed not
only the clergy of inferior rank, but the bishops themselves to their
own Metropolitans. For they have ordained with great wisdom and
justice, that all matters should be terminated in the places where they
arise; and did not think that the grace of the Holy Spirit would be
wanting to any Province, for the bishops of Christ
(Sacerdotibus) wisely to discern, and firmly to maintain the
right: especially since whosoever thinks himself wronged by any
judgment may appeal to the council of his Province, or even to a
General Council [i.e. of Africa] unless it be imagined that God can
inspire a single individual with justice, and refuse it to an
innumerable multitude of bishops (sacerdotum) assembled in
council. And how shall we be able to rely on a sentence passed
beyond the sea, since it will not be possible to send thither the
necessary witnesses, whether from the weakness of sex, or advanced age,
or any other impediment? For that your Holiness should send any
on your part we can find ordained by no council of Fathers.
Because with regard to what you have sent us by the same our brother
bishop Faustinus, as being contained in the Nicene Council, we can find
nothing of the kind in the more authentic copies of that council, which
we have received from the holy Cyril our brother, Bishop of the
Alexandrine Church, and from the venerable Atticus the Prelate of
Constantinople, and which we formerly sent by Innocent the presbyter,
and Marcellus the subdeacon through whom we received them, to Boniface
the Bishop, your predecessor of venerable memory. Moreover
whoever desires you to delegate any of your clergy to execute your
orders, do not comply, lest it seem that we are introducing the pride
of secular dominion into the Church of Christ which exhibiteth to all
that desire to see God the light of simplicity and the day of
humility. For now that the miserable Apiarius has been removed
out of the Church of Christ for his horrible crimes, we feel confident
respecting our brother Faustinus, that through the uprightness and
moderation of your Holiness, Africa, without violating brotherly
charity, will by no means have to endure him any longer. Lord and
brother, may our Lord long preserve your Holiness to pray for
us.497497 This translation is
by Allies.

Ancient Epitome of Canon
CXXXVIII.

Those excommunicated by us, ye are not be willing to
admit afterwards to communion, according to the decree of the Nicene
Synod. For Apiarius, who was restored by you, has resisted the
Synod, and treated it with scorn, and at length has been converted and
confessed himself guilty with sighs and tears.